Dispensing containers



July 11, 1961 N. E. WILSON 2,991,923

DISPENSING CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 19, 1959 FIG.2

FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

NORMAN E. WILSON ATTORNEY 2,991,923 DISPENSING CONTAINERS Norman E. Wilson, University City, Mo., assignor to The Puro Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of MISSOlll'l Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,675 3 Claims. (Cl. 229 -51) This invention relates in general to dispensing containers and, more particularly, to a container which can be used for dispensing rodenticides.

At the present time, warfarin, Antu and similar types of rodenticides are placed in small, shallow dishes or tin trays, which are located in the various places around the home or dwelling-place where rodents commonly run or feed. Very frequently, grain, granules, or other food materials are impregnated with these rodenticides in order to serve as bait and the material thus treated is similarly placed in the path of the rodents. Obviously, such methods have certain inherent dangers in households where small children may find the rodenticide and try to eat it. Furthermore, the materials, when placed in small dishes or shallow trays, must be replaced from time to time and occasionally are scattered so that the housewife is burdened with additional cleaning chores.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container which can be readily and simply converted by the user into a rodenticide dispensing unit.

It is another object of the present inventionto provide a container of the type stated which is simple and inexpensive. 7

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container of the type stated which is rugged in construction and will form a secure merchantable package during shipment, storage, and sale.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing container constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the dispensing container;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the dispensing container, showing the container opened for use; and

FIG. 4 is a modified form of dispensing container constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention, A designates a dispensing container consisting of an inner cylindrical spiral-wound cardboard shell 1 preferably provided on its interior face with a metallic foil lining 2. At its lower end, the inner shell 1 is marginally rolled into the circular head 3 of a substantially fiat, circular metallic bottom 4. In the area just above the bottom 4 and at suitably spaced intervals around its periphery, the inner shell is provided with a plurality of openings 5, which, as shown, are of substantially triangular shape. It will be understood, however, that the shape of these openings is not particularly critical and they may be made larger or smaller and of different shape, such as a semi-circular shape or even a rectangular shape. Also as shown in the drawings, there are two such openings 5 arranged in diametrally opposite relation to each other, but it is possible to employ a larger number of such openings 5 so long as there is sufficient material of the inner shell engaged within the bead 3 of the bottom 4 to provide adequate structural strength.

Formed around the exterior of the shell 1 is an outerf spiral-wound cardboard shell 6, which is substantially coterminous at its upper margin with the inner shell 1 and projects for a short distance beyond the shell 1 at their lower margins, such projecting margin being rolled into and secured within the peripheral bead 7 of an auxiliary bottom member 8. At their upper ends, theinner shell 1 and outer shell 6 are rolled into and secured within the peripheral bead 9 of an annular metallic top;

member 10 which is provided with a large concentric filling opening 11 having -a conventional press-fitted circular metallic lid or closure member 12.

Disposed between the outer shell 6 and the inner shell 1 and extending annularly therearound is a pull string, 13, one end of which is inserted through the outer shell 1 and projects externally therefrom so as to be convert-s iently accessible for manual gripping. This pull'string 13 is located in a plane a short distance upwardly above the upper limits of the apertures 5. Above the pull string 13, the inner shell 1 and outer shell 6 are adhesively se cured together so as to form, in effect, a single unitaryv structure. On the other hand, below the pull string 13,

the inner shell 1 and outer shell 6 are not secured to-.

gether and, thus, when the projecting end of the pull string 13 is gripped and pulled outwardly, it will tear theouter shell 6 in a line, severing the lower portion thereof from the upper portion and thereby forming a downwardly removable cap-like bottom member rodenticide and eat it away, additional quantities of ro denticide will flow downwardly to the openings 5 so as to maintain a continuing supply of rodenticide at the openings 5 for a sustained period of time.

As a matter of practical experience, housewives ordinarily are troubled by only one or two rodents from time to time. Since the rodenticides commonly in use cause the rodents to leave the premises and die elsewhere, it is usually true that after a few days or possibly a week of usage, the rodents will have disappeared from the premises. The housewife can then replace the bottom member m and put the dispensing container A away for subsequent usage on the next accasion of infestation.

It is also possible to provide a modified form of dispensing container B, as shown in FIG. 4, which is identical in all respects to the previously described dispensing container A, except that it is provided with a solid metallic top member 14. It is fairly common practice in the use of packaging containers to fill the container and then, in suitable machinery, roll the top member 14 into place as a permanent closure. The dispensing container B is, of course, provided with a pull string 1'3 which is, in all respects, identical with the previously described pull string 13.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the dispensing containers may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A carton adapted for dispensing rodenticides, insecticides and the like, said carton comprising a cylindrical element adapted to stand upright when the carton is in use, a top permanently secured in closure-forming position across the upper end of the element, said element being Patented July 11, 1961,

integrally provided at its lower margin with a downwardly extending diametrally reduced concentric flange and a downwardly presented annular shoulder extending around the upper limits of the flange, a non-frangible bottom wall permanently secured in closure-forming position across the lower end of said flange, said flange being provided with at least one opening located directly above said bottom wall and having a lower margin substantially coincident with the bottom wall and axially removable cylindrical cover means having an internal size for snug-fitting telescopic position around said flange and in overlying closure-forming position across the opening, said cover means projecting axially downwardly beyond the lower edge of the flange and being provided at its lower end with a rigid auxiliary bottom wall forming a closure across the lower end of the cover means.

2. A carton adapted for dispensing rodenticides, insecticides and the like, said carton comprising a cylindrical element adapted to stand upright when the carton is in use, a top permanently secured in closure-forming position across the upper end of the element, said element being integrally provided at its lower margin with a downwardly extending diametrally reduced concentric flange and a downwardly presented annular shoulder extending around the upper limits of the flange, a nonfrangible bottom wall permanently secured in closureforming position across the lower end of said flange, said flange being provided with a plurality of triangular openings located directly above said bottom wall and having a lower margin substantially coincident with the bottom wall and axially removable cylindrical cover means having an internal size for snug-fitting telescopic position around said flange and in overlying closure-forming position across said openings, said cover means projecting axially downwardly beyond the lower edge of the flange and being provided at its lower end with a rigid auxiliary bottom wall forming a closure across the lower end of the cover means.

3. A carton adapted for dispensing rodenticides, insecticides and the like, said carton comprising a cylindrical element adapted to stand upright when the carton is in use, said cylindrical element including an outer tube having an inner tube disposed in snug-fitting telescopic position therein, said outer and inner tubes being coterminates at their upper ends and being permanently secured in common at their upper ends to a top wall which thereby forms a. closure across the upper end of the element, saidinner tube being somewhat shorter in axial length than the outer tube and being provided at its lower end with a permanent non-frangible bottom wall extending in closure-forming position thereacross, said inner tube further being provided at its lower end with at least one opening located directly above the bottom wall and having a lower margin substantially coincident with the bottom wall, the outer tube projecting axially downwardly below the bottom wall of the tube and at its lower end being permanently provided with an auxiliary bottomv wall permanently secured thereto and extending closurewise tbereacross, the outer wall being provided with an annular severance-line extending around its entire periphery in a plane substantially above the upper limit of said aperture, said inner and outer tubes being sufficiently free from each other in the area below said severance-line so that when the outer tube is severed along said severance-line the lower portion of the outer tube and the auxiliary bottom wall can be slipped axially downwardly and away from the lower portion of the inner tube to expose the opening and at the same time form a replaceable bottom cap which can optionally be slipped telescopically back up upon the lower end of the tube and thereby returned into closure-forming position across said aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,535,522 Dolan Apr. 28, i925 1,815,800 Respess July 21, l93l 2,131,518 Lurssen Sept. 27, 1938 2,763,409 Stagmeier Sept. 18, 1956 

